Monday, August 20, 2012

Awwww, it's so cute!

Was riding in Kendall Sq this evening, when I spied this very cute and colorful bike!

I may have freaked out the guy who was riding it a bit when I asked him if it was a Google bike, and then asked if he'd "liberated it" (thinking Cambridge is a long way from the Googleplex in CA). He wanted to know if I worked for Google, and I had to confess I was just a bike geek :)

Backing up slightly, I knew that Google had these special bikes made for getting around their complex in California. What I didn't know is that Google has two buildings at opposite ends of Kendall sq, and has therefore brought in some of the special bikes for employees to use to get from building A to B.

The rider said that they're in a bike cage in the parking area, and you unlock the cage with your ID and just take one. He said that there were two at the building he just left when he left, don't know how many total they have.

Anyway, good to see one "in the wild" and gosh if it isn't the cutest thing I've seen all week- Makes you want to smile just looking at those mis-matched colorful tires and happy red fenders!

5 comments:

oh yeah, there was a company called ITA Software that specialized in tracking and sharing airline flight data based out of Kendall Square and they were purchased by Google about a year/year-and-a-half ago. They're at the eastern edge of Kendall, near Cambridge Brewing Company, whereas the main Boston offices are a few blocks over by the Marriott.

... of course, given where Area Four is, I suspect that he isn't taking the most direct route between both facilities ;)

I had a chance to ride one of those bikes in Mountain View. They are fine on the campus but downright scary on major roads, which cut through Google's campus. They are playful and I couldn't resist getting on one just for fun and when I had to get somewhere fast.